The March issue of Better Homes and Gardens arrived in our mailbox this week, and we were looking forward to reading their article regarding the challenges of designing a home that is both beatiful and functional for a family with children.
Unfortunately, we are not sure they really hit the mark. While we agree that a persian rug with a busy pattern will make stains impossible to find, other aspects of this home design seem somewhat less practical for families with small children.
For example, on this bed the bedskirt may be burlap, a good sturdy fabric, but the bedspread is a white matelassé. Given the shrinkage issue that typically occur when washing matelassé covers in a standard washing machine, that looks to us like a bed covered in white, dryclean-only fabric. Maybe that is kid-friendly decorating for some, but not for any of the families with children that we know!
We just didn't see much in these rooms that looked like it solved a design issue with regard to having children in a home - from the off-white slipcover on the living room couch to the open, silver-laden shelves in the dining room, it is hard to figure out what BHG means when they call this home an example of 'family friendly' design.
We hope to see more in BHG future issues that better addresses how to design a home that suits the needs of both adults and children in a functional and beautiful way.
Wow, you're not kidding. Plants and flowers everywhere. Breakables on every flat surface. That coffee table in particular is a nightmare. The frail connecting woodwork underneath it would draw kids like moths to a flame and be broken in no time.
I know adults without children that won't have a white couch. Yet in two of the three rooms, light-colored furniture dominates.
I could not agree more. Every time I see a publication promising family friendly design I'm always disappointed. My boys would break that spindly coffee table in seconds, my daughter would pull that heavy silver off the shelf and onto her head before nap time. And is that fabric on the seats of those dining room chairs? We'd have to cover them with oil cloth and hose them down after a meal. The pillows on the white couch look silky and dry clean only also. Between that and the bed, I'd have a hefty dry cleaning bill after my three kids went through a bout with the stomach flu.
That is a lot of delicate stuff in arm's reach of a small child!